Istanbul diary - Day 2 at the Topkapi

Continued from here

Since I received an enquiry on my last Istanbul post as to whether we did anything besides eat, I decided that I had to "defend"  myself and show that I did all the touristy things.  

Yes, Padmanabhan in between all the eating, I actually did go to Topkapi, sneaked in a visit to Aya Sofiya, was wowed by the Blue Mosque, cruised on the Bosphorus, went to the Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, and was even (unsuspectingly) the scapegoat of a mini leather fashion show!

Day 2 was all about the Topkapi Sarayi.  ( No, its not named after the no 1 brand of Turkish Coffee, but is cannon gate;  top=gate, kapi=cannon and Sarayi is Palace)

An early morning start was advised by our son, since he had done the necessary reading and said that would be these vast hordes of tourists wanting to enter the harem part, and this section is only by guided tour, and there are fixed times, so its better we finish that off fast.  So, that's where we headed first.

Topkapi tips

• It opens at 9 am, and there are really hordes of tourists and school children so dont expect a peaceful communion with history, the Iznik tiles or the fountains
• You enter through the first gate into the gardens, and that's free.  This is where Aya Irene, a maha ancient church is located, all locked up for some mysterious reason.The Aya Irene, origins in 4th century, damaged by earthquakes, and resstored in the 8th century by Constantine V
• You need a 10YTL ticket to enter through the second gate Felicity Gate - which is where all the crowds mill, since no one seems to quite know which queue is for what.  
  The Surre-i-Humayun, Felicity Gate, the inspiration for Disneyland?
• You go through security and your now inside, inside.  I mean really inside - where B is marked on the map below.
• Then I stood in line at the point marked "15", which is the ticket counter to enter the harem - another 10YTL.  This area was like a smokers' corner, as all the desperate sorts took their last puffs - no smoking in the harem you see!
• So, that's Rs 720/- per head, please.  Dont stinge by not going into the seraglio, it is worth a visit, most definitely.
• Another great tool is the audio guide, we rented one for our son (5ytl), so keep a photcopy of some id handy, else they want the original!
• We were into Topkapi by 9 am and left by around 2 in the afternoon - basically because we were hungry, and were suffering from an overload of tiles and gold, but you know, its well worth resting in the gardens for a while, and taking each section slowly.  You can go into the harem only once, but the rest of the galleries you can revisit if you dont leave the Felicity Gate.  
• And dont miss the views of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus from the Pavillions - marked 13 and 14.  (We had a fabulous, clear day and the views were so stunning, I forgot about the tiles and the gold!!)  The sultans had it good, most definitely.
  
  

This floor plan of the Topkapi I downloaded from here.   The Bilkent.edu site has a wealth of information, and there's a great 360degrees virtual tour of the harem as well, at the Topkapi Web Page.

Seraglio similarities

While walking through the harem, I was struck by what a difficult and complicated life the wretched sultan led.  Besides keeping his wives happy, he had to ensure peace and harmony among his concubines -atleast so that they didn't scratch each other's eyes out - and then to top it all there were discontented princes by the dozens, and scheming grand viziers as well.  I remember reading somewhere that at its height, the harem had some 2,000 occupants - eunuchs to keep an eye, wives, concubines, slaves, princes....

However, it did not seem so alien to me, a resident of Tamil Nadu, where the current aging Chief Minister has to do exactly the same.  Keep peace between his wives, their offspring and various assorted cousins and hangers-on.  If you look at it in that way, India today doesn't seem so different from Istanbul of the 19th century!!  The Ottoman Sultan would banish an especially troublesome prince to an inconsequential outpost - shades of Azhagiri?!

In Ottomanian times the Valide Sultan, the Queen Mother, was a powerful person.  Strange - not the wife, but the mother.  As you walk through the harem, The Valide's rooms and quarters are very impressive.  

Not everything is open to the public, so you wind your way, first north than a bit west and then north again before you emerge out.  Its like a warren, and new residents would have had a time figuring out their way around.  Oops sorry, didn't mean to be here, and you would run into a black eunuch guard barring your way I'm sure.

The Sultan on the other hand, had a well-defined "road" to make sure he didn't get lost!
The cobbled path that wound through some of the harem corridors, for the king's horses to have a steady footing.

Domes......

.....and Iznik tiles

Baths and Fountains

I still need to write about the Treasury, the Relic room and the kitchen, so Topkapi will be continued in a second instalment.